Joao Lucas Reis da Silva, the Brazilian tennis sensation, recently made history by becoming the sport’s first openly gay active male professional player.

He has now called on more men to do the same. The world No. 401 came out publicly when he shared a heartfelt Instagram post for his boyfriend’s birthday earlier this month.

He believes that if top ATP stars were to come out, it could change the dynamics in the locker room. It was a landmark moment when Reis da Silva posted a birthday message for his boyfriend, actor and model Gui Sampaio Ricardo, on Instagram just over a week ago.

Alongside a series of photos, the 24-year-old wrote: “Happy birthday, happy life, I love you lots.”

Unbeknownst to him, this made him the first active male tennis player to come out. While he intended to make a statement by coming out, Reis da Silva is eager to see other players follow his lead to end the stigma.

“I didn’t think about it… I just wanted to post a picture with him,” he told The Athletic. Although there are several openly gay tennis players on the women’s circuit, no active competitor on the men’s tour had previously come out.

Only a handful of retired players have addressed their sexuality. The doubles No. 367 revealed his sexuality to his friends and family five years ago. He added: “Before that it was tough for me. I couldn’t say too much about myself to my coaches, to my friends.

“When I tried to love myself, that was something different. It changed my life, changed everything, the relationship with my parents, with my coaches.”

Reis da Silva then found love with his partner, and they’ve been a solid team for over a year. On Ricardo’s birthday, the Challenger Tour player didn’t hesitate to share his feelings online: “I was like, ‘Oh my god, it’s my boyfriend’s birthday. Like happy birthday. I love you.’ And then, boom! It was so normal for me that I didn’t think about it.”

While Reis da Silva braced for some backlash, the support has been overwhelmingly positive. Brazilian tennis pro Thiago Monteiro called the birthday post “marvelous,” while tennis veteran Feliciano Lopez showed his support by liking the photo series.

Since coming out, the world No. 401 has noticed a surge of respect from his peers on the court. He added: “I’m really happy that people respect me, that people look at me, admire me maybe.”

This is a significant shift from just a few years back when Reis da Silva would overhear homophobic remarks in the locker rooms. “In the locker rooms and at tournaments I used to hear some things that kind of bothered me,” he recalled.

“But when I started to tell everyone that I’m gay and these people knew about it, they stopped saying these things. It’s like when they have someone close to them that is gay, they respect them more. They stop doing —— comments.”

The ATP top 100 remains devoid of openly gay players, and Reis da Silva suggests that visibility at the top could be a game-changer. “Maybe that’s a big thing to stop it – if people see someone in the top that is gay, I think that things can change. People might stop saying things they shouldn’t that hurt people,” he remarked.